“Rivers Assembly can’t tell us who to vote for” — Annkio Briggs

Niger Delta rights activist Annkio Briggs has said the Rivers State House of Assembly has no authority to dictate the voting choices of the people of the state.

Briggs made the remark on Thursday during an interview on *Politics Today*, a Channels Television programme, while reacting to the ongoing impeachment crisis involving the Rivers State House of Assembly and Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

According to her, the power to decide who governs Rivers State rests with the electorate, not lawmakers.

She said the people of Rivers State want Governor Fubara to remain in office, including beyond the end of his current tenure in 2027.

“What concerns me is that the people of Rivers State have the final say, not members of the State House of Assembly,” Briggs said. “The Assembly members appear not to understand that this power does not belong to them. It belongs to the people of Rivers State.”

Briggs also called on the federal government, the president, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to exercise caution in their approach to political developments in the state.

She noted that Governor Fubara has been received into the APC, the same party to which members of the Rivers State House of Assembly belong, and warned that the party’s actions could affect its electoral prospects.

“The APC needs to be very careful,” she said. “It is heading into elections next year and must consider how it intends to secure the support of the Niger Delta and the people of Rivers State.”

The impeachment dispute has continued to attract national attention amid concerns over its impact on governance and political stability in Rivers State.